A Discussion
on
Domestic Violence
- A development from Andy's Story

Andy and I looked at some of the ways we could get people to start thinking seriously about this issue and in so doing, we came up with some of the causes of domestic violence and how to put a stop to it, or at least curve it.  We found that the overal theme is 'education' and as Andy's story develops we will share some of these points with you and hope that you will share them with others.    We need each other to survive, so let’s start looking out for one another and helping each other to grow in the areas where we are weak.  We are commanded to love each other and this is an exercise of love.

One of the known cause of domestic violence, having spoken to other women in similar positions is illiteracy.

• Illiteracy plays a great role in domestic violence on the Island.  Often our young men, in particular, are not fully equipped with the knowledge and know-how, when it comes to handling simple misunderstandings.  Therefore, majority of the time they are driven, through frustration, to the only resource available to them – ignorance. This often result in violence of all kinds from small injuries to murders.

Domestic Violence is one of the biggest fears for our women in Jamaica and there isn’t much in place to help them.  The Police service is the only one knowingly available and it doesn’t offer much security, according to the women who so often rely on this service.  "It only takes a 'word' to get out that you’ve been to the police station" and that creates further development in the issue at home.  Also this issue of domestic abuse is so common in Jamaica that the police can sometimes overlook the depth of the individual’s complaint.  For this reason complaints do not get the full treatment it deserves.  This can put doubt in the minds of the abused, believing that nothing will be done with any form of confidentiality.  This frustrates the women who now believe that there is nowhere to turn and often leads to both party taking matters in their own hands.

How can we help to put a stop to domestic violence? Some of the ideas we came up with are as follows:

1.                Educating our men and women on how to deal with problems (this could be a situation where once a claim has been made there is a process of counseling where both parties get together and work out there differences in the presence of a marriage counsellor.   Also a set of classes or workshops could be developed and run at the police stations or at the local schools/education centers or libraries.  This should be free of charge where members of the community take part in a series of workshops - working with families on dealing with home affairs etc.,.).  Also including literacy and numeracy.  These programs/workshops could be seasonal, quarterly or monthly.  It is strongly belived that this will give hope to many of our abused and fearful women and men who are currently in a similar situation. And help to curve the perpetrators as well as provide a better future for our society.

2.                Providing a service for women or anyone who suffer abuse at home: This could be in the form of a service created to provide advice on where to go if you need help what to do if one find oneself  in a similar situation.  This will then allow for people who have gone through this problem and coming out on the upside, to share with others how they came out and what can be done.  These domestic issues often affect the female more than the male and could therefore be a service offered at the local clinic to start with.

Many would be grateful for this type of help and advice so if you are part of a local community or church group or any of the groups mentioned in this article, why not bring this to your groups attention and see if any of the ideas can be further developed.  Let us join forces and help each other to experience a better way of life.

 


Lets us educate each other and make a difference within our community.  'It only takes a spark, to get the fire going...' Help to build a better future for the next generation.

© 2007 Write 2 Shine
This article is a direct development from Andy's Story 1

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